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Monthly Archives: March 2016

Echo like a forceful wind
The sound of your name
Comes whipping across
Throws me into the past…
I am left blinking in its wake
Water almost seep through
The cavities of my eyes
As my nose flare
in remembered instances
I am no longer myself…
The sound of your name
Moulds me and shapes me
Whipping through me
And cutting open
The bandages
I had plastered over
Cracks in the ceiling
And now…
The sound of your name
Has ripped them open
Exposing
the mouldering
maggot ridden memories
of what once was
The sound of your name
A hurricane
With gale force winds
Typhoon like…
Destruction in its wake
This sound of your name…

My brother took this bundle from his yard! Delicious! Spicy, mildly like wasabi. This is wild mustard. You see them on the roadside around this time of year, winter, during the rains.
I blanch the leaves and tender tops, slice onions, and tomatoes over them. Then season with fish sauce!
Or throw them into stir fries, like a version of yakisoba. Or into garden pasta with garlic and olive oil.
It’s rather like spinach but with a bit of bite.

We went to Rome, Florence, and Venice for 11 days total in January of this year. And I think that travelling in the winter has its perks. No lines!!!! Vatican? Go right on in. Uffizi? Go right on in. Doge’s palace? Come on in! Venice at dusk felt like we were on our own, like we owned the island. No crowds, no….dare I say??!?! – musty smell of teeming humanity.

The problem is dressing for the winter. You don’t want to look too touristy. Or too frumpy. Because it’s Italy, for heavens sake! And everything has to fit in one 21 inch carry on.

Because I didn’t plan as well as I should have, I ended up buying another luggage to haul my excess clothes and ummm….souvenirs.

So the following are my advice to dressing for the winter.

If you’re going in winter, it’s good to take layers. Thin layers, not bulky sweaters. Think 2-3 layers exclusive of jacket.

Take one snow winter jacket (down filled). If your current living place is not used to snowy winters, do me a favor and go to a city that is. You will need a snow winter jacket.

For some reason, this was the trend in Florence. Orange liner under that army jacket.

Bring a soft and warm muffler, scarf. Something that will cover your cheeks and nose.

Bring facial moisturizer. Slather it on in the evening and morning (will help protect you from windburn). You might want to invest in a creamier moisturizer.

Two sock method keeps feet warm.

Or footed tights and warm socks.

Tights. Take skinny jeans that have just a little room to slip in tights. You’ll thank me for it.

Wish I found these before the trip! I brought fleece lined tights, though. Two of them.

The goal is to not allow any exposed skin, especially if your skin is sensitive to cold. Wind burn can happen.

Warm gloves. It would probably be a good idea to get slightly larger gloves and one set that fits skin tight into it.

Layers!!!!

If you’re shopping for jackets anyway, check for one with pockets INSIDE of the jacket. Not OUTSIDE. And make sure it should be large enough to hold your passport. Make sure it’s zippered or buttoned. A good antitheft device. Nothing in the visible pockets outside of your jacket. And it would probably be better if all of your pockets were zippered. Since it won’t easily be detected under a scarf, wear a wallet that goes over your neck and hang in front of you.

The skinniest bag you can find. LOL! Big enough to hold a few Euros, one of your credit cards, your cell phone, camera, extra batteries. (And preferably one you can hide under your jacket.)

Beanies are a person’s best friend. Even if you have a hood on your jacket. A warm beanie to cover your head and ears are a major need.

If you must only bring one pair of shoes, I would recommend your best broken in boots. The tall one. That layer of extra warmth is going to be needed. And it looks cool. It should be broken in because you’ll do a lot of walking! I can’t tell you how much better the boots actually felt over the comfortable flats I had brought. I shouldn’t have brought those flats at all. LOL!

Plus, during the day that I was walking, I did the double sock method. Served me well. Didn’t get blisters, even though I thought I had.

Bring slippers. One you can use to the restroom. Summer flip flops are okay. They’re going to get wet anyway. The hotels we stayed in all had wood floors and marble floors. Very cold to barefeet. And if you’re going to take a shower, your socks won’t help.

Always bring a reusable bag. Canvas, plastic, etc. You’ll need something to haul all those groceries or souvenirs around in. Europe is reluctant to give you plastic bags for free. Plus, in any situation, you’ll need a bag to haul picnic supplies. It’s still a good idea to have your own. Just in case. (On a side note, I bought two in Firenze because…well, I didn’t bring any with me.)

Snow boots, cute ones, are fine in Europe in winter.

Thermal shirts have become cute nowadays! Bring several!

And because you’ll love winter in Italy, start gathering a wardrobe for the next time you do go!

And just note that in winter, the shops in Firenze closes early. 7, I believe. The shops on Ponte Vecchio started closing up shop at around 6, 6:30. Probably the only place you’d get grub at would be near the train terminal. The clothing shops are open a bit later though. Which is why I bought the water resistant, hooded down jacket at Zara’s along with a long knitted muffler.

What kept me warm in Rome didn’t help in Florence. And the night I bought the jacket was freezing cold. And when I got back home, the jacket did not see any action. My hometown has mild Mediterranean weather.

Bring as many underwear as the days of the trip. And bring just two more pairs of socks than the days of the trip… In case you need an extra layer more of socks.

Most people wash underwear and socks in the bathroom, but seriously? I hated the smell.

Walk! You’ll feel warmer.

MISTAKES I MADE!!!
Since it was my first trip, I didn’t know what to expect. Brought flat shoes. Didn’t need it. Brought two cute skirts (someone told me we were going to a jazz club). Didn’t need it. Didn’t bring a beanie. BIG mistake!
The biggest mistake I made? Packing bulky sweaters.

Next time…. I will bring more thermal long sleeves. Hunting for cute ones, currently. Three thin sweaters, more fleece lined tights with feet, and only two skinny pants. I will definitely bring a beanie, though I don’t generally wear one at home. And I will bring my long knitted scarf. Even if it’s the only scarf I bring.

I brought a neck warmer and that saved my face more times than I can count. A thin tube of synthetic fleece material!

And I will wear contacts instead of glasses. So I don’t fog them up. 😁